Woolworth Building

The Woolworth Building is a 792-foot-tall (241 m) residential building and early skyscraper at 233 Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City, United States. Designed by Cass Gilbert in the Neo-Gothic style, the Woolworth Building was originally an office skyscraper. It was the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930, and it remains one of the United States' 100 tallest buildings as of 2024. The Woolworth Building is bounded by Broadway and City Hall Park to its east, Park Place to its north, and Barclay Street to its south. It consists of a 30-story base topped by a 30-story tower. Its facade is mostly clad with architectural terracotta, though the lower portions are limestone, and it features thousands of windows. The ornate lobby contains various sculptures, mosaics, and architectural touches. The structure was designed with several amenities and attractions, including an observatory on the 57th floor and a private swimming pool in the basement. Frank W. Woolworth was the founder of F. W. Woolworth Company, a popular five-and-ten-cent store, and he conceived the skyscraper as a headquarters for his company. Woolworth planned it jointly with the Irving Trust, which also agreed to use the structure as its headquarters. The Woolworth Building had been planned as a 12- to 16-story commercial structure, but it underwent several revisions during its planning process. Its final height was not decided upon until January 1911. Construction started in 1910 and was completed two years later. The building officially opened on April 24, 1913. The Woolworth Building has undergone several changes throughout its history. The facade was cleaned in 1932, and the building received an extensive renovation between 1977 and 1981. The Irving National Exchange Bank moved its headquarters to 1 Wall Street in 1931, but the Woolworth Company (later Venator Group) continued to own the Woolworth Building for most of the 20th century. The structure was sold to the Witkoff Group in 1998. The top 30 floors were sold to a developer in 2012 and converted into residences. Office and commercial tenants use the rest of the building. The Woolworth Building has been a National Historic Landmark since 1966, and a New York City designated landmark since 1983.

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